White main-sequence star · Crater
η Crateris
Also known as: η Crt, HIP 58188
mag 5.2250 light-years
About
η Crateris is a white main-sequence star of magnitude 5.2 in Crater, about 250 light-years away.
How to find it
- η Crateris is in the constellation Crater.
- Best evenings: around early May it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from south of 63° N.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesNeeds a dark sky away from city lights.
- Binoculars (10×50)A sharp point; binoculars bring out its colour and the fainter stars around it.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)Still a point of light at any magnification — stars are too far away to show a disc. Low in the sky, bright stars twinkle and flash colours.
Stars look the same in any instrument: brighter and sharper, but never bigger.
Facts
| Designation | η Crateris (η Crt) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 58188 |
| Type | White main-sequence star |
| Spectral type | A0V |
| Colour | WhiteB−V colour index −0.02 |
| Magnitude | 5.2The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 250 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1780. |
| Proper motion | 0.050″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Crater |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 56m 01.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −17° 09′ 03″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →